Pri slalomu na divjih vodah morajo tekmovalci usmerjati svoj čoln skozi par količkov, imenovan vrata. Približno 200 metrov dolgo progo, polno brzic in tokov, morajo preveslati brez dotika ali zgrešenih vrat. Če se tekmovalec dotakne količka, mu sodniki dosodijo dve dodatni kazenski sekundi, za zgrešena ali napačno preveslana vrata pa h končnemu času prištejejo 50 kazenskih sekund. Količki vrat so zeleno-bele ali rdeče-bele barve. Pri vratih z zeleno-belimi količki tekmovalci veslajo v smeri toka, pri količkih rdeče-bele barve pa morajo veslati proti toku. Število vrat na tekmovanjih se giblje med 18 in 25.

Tekmovalci in tekmovalke lahko tekmujejo v štirih disciplinah. Moški tekmujejo v kajaku (K1m) in kanuju enosedu (C1m), ženske prav tako tekmujejo v kajaku (K1ž) in kanuju enosedu (C1ž).

Tekmovalci in tekmovalke najprej nastopajo v kvalifikacijah in polfinalu. V finalu vsake izmed disciplin nato nastopi po deset najhitrejših tekmovalcev oziroma tekmovalk iz polfinala.

Na evropskih in svetovnih prvenstvih tekmovalke in tekmovalci nastopajo tudi v ekipnih tekmah.

Kajakaški kros je kombinacija vseh disciplin na divjih vodah, pri čemer tekmovalci tekmujejo v identičnih plastičnih čolnih. Spominja na smučarski kros. Začne se s startom z zapornice, ko štirje tekmovalci istočasno zdrsnejo z nje več kot dva metra nad vodo. Od tam naprej je tekma do prve boje in vse je mogoče, saj si vsak tekmovalec prizadeva zagotoviti prednost pred nasprotniki. Tekmovalci morajo navigirati mimo točnih in protitočnih boj, stik pa je dovoljen – kar povečuje vznemirjenje tako za gledalce kot za športnike. Potem je tu še obvezen eskimski obrat. Športniki imajo na voljo le nekaj metrov, da uspešno obrnejo svoj kajak, opraviti morajo popoln preobrat za 360 stopinj. V primeru neupoštevanja tekmovalnih pravil so tekmovalci kaznovani, npr. nepravilen start, zgrešena boja, nevarno veslanje, eskimski obrat ni opravljen v za to določenem območju … Večina tekem se konča v minuti, a doseženi časovni rezultati niti niso pomembni. Pomembno je, kdo je prvi prečkal ciljno linijo, ob tem pa progo preveslal pravilno, brez dosojenih napak (prehiter start, zgrešena boja, nevarno veslanje …). Kajakaški kros je tekma taktike.

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In Canoe Slalom, paddlers must navigate their canoe or kayak through pairs of poles, which are called gates. The course of gates is set up over challenging rapids, waves, eddies and currents on an approx. 200m stretch of whitewater. If the paddler touches a pole or misses a gate altogether then penalty seconds are added to their timed run (2 seconds for touching a pole, 50 seconds for missing a gate). Gates have green and white or red and white poles. When gates are green and white athletes have to pass them in the direction of current, while with red and white gates paddlers have to pass them in the opposite direction to that of the current. The number of gates varies from 18 to 25.

There are Kayak events, for men and women, in single (K1) boats, and Canoe events in single (C1) boats. In mix C2 event male and female are paddling in the same boat.

Competitors first compete in heats and in semifinal. Then top 10 paddlers from each category (MC1, MK1, WK1, WC1) advance to the grand final.

Team events are also organised at European and World Championships.

Kayak cross is a combination of all canoeing’s white water disciplines, with competitors racing in identical plastic creek boats. The excitement begins from the very start, with four competitors sliding off a ramp more than two metres above the water and splashing onto the course as one. From there it’s a race to the first buoy, and it really is a case of anything goes as each paddler tries to steal an advantage over their opponents. Athletes need to negotiate both downstream and upstream buoys, and contact is allowed – adding to the thrills and spills and excitement for spectators and athletes alike. Then there’s the compulsory kayak roll. Athletes only have a short window of opportunity to successfully roll their kayaks, and they need to do a complete 360 degree flip. There are a variety of ways to get penalized – breaking the start, missing a buoy, dangerous paddling, and failing to complete the kayak roll within the allocated area. Most races are over in around a minute, but times are not important. Kayak cross is very much a race of tactics, and often it does not pay to lead early.